Letta Tayler

Letta Tayler researches terrorism and counterterrorism as a part of the Emergencies Program. Her focus includes atrocities by the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in Iraq and Libya, and by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen. Tayler also tracks drone strikes and other targeted killings, as well as overly broad counterterrorism policies at the United Nations Security Council and around the world. In 2011-12, Tayler directed Human Rights Watch’s work on the Yemen uprising and transition. She has worked in 35 countries as a human rights defender and a journalist, and has been a featured guest on The BCC, CNN, Fresh Air, Al Jazeera, and Democracy Now! As a correspondent with Newsday, Tayler was one of the first reporters to detail prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. She chronicled events including the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the bombings of Tora Bora, and also served as Latin America bureau chief. Tayler is a former rock music critic. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Barnard College.